Design and Looks
The Nokia 3270 Classic comes close to the heels of the tough Samsung B2100's launch. But unlike most other phones in the tough-mobile segment, the Nokia 3270 looks delicate just like any ordinary feature phone. Add to that the phone is light weighing only 94 grams. If you still question the phone's threshold for punishment, the IP54 certification may clear your doubts.
The phone has many features that make it rugged but most of these are almost invisible to the eye. Among them you have a solid metallic rim that lines the sides of the phone, and a rubber cushion between the metal lining and the rear panel. The battery cover is secured in place with a screw that should also prevent water from seeping inside when the phone gets wet. The front of the phone is also almost indestructible like the sides and the back.
To prevent seepage of liquid into the phone, the keypad is splash resistant and the connectors at the bottom of the phone are protected by a rubber-cover that needs to be uncapped every time you wish to connect the USB or plug in the headset. The cap itself has a hole over the charging point but rest assured it's completely water proof.
The phone sports a super large 2.2” display which features a wide-viewing angle, good colour representation and subtle contrast. Needless to say, the display is capable of generating up to 16 million colours and is easily legible under bright sunlight.
The keys on the keypad can be a little hard and somewhat un-text-friendly but that's because the splash resistant keys are made of stiff plastic that does not afford for any gaps between the keys and the keypad surface. For extra reassurance, those gaps are filled with isolating rubber to prevent the ingress of dirt and water.
The only flaws in the design that compromise the robustness of the phone are the camera lens that features little protection and the loudspeaker grill. Tests have shown that repeated exposure to water can spoil the loudspeaker till it eventually dies out, but then again, we are talking of a lot of water poured directly into the loudspeaker grill. Rest assured a little rain or splashing river water will do the speaker no harm. As for the camera lens, albeit the lack of a cover, it is a recessed into the phone's surface and is surrounded by a metal rim. This should offer some protection.
The phone has a 2MP camera with LED flash. Picture quality is satisfactory but the lack of autofocus is missed. The camera user interface is unburdened with extensive options and is rather simple to use. Only the really popular features like white balance, self-timer and image sequencing are available for use. Users can also shoot pictures or videos in landscape or portrait modes. As regards telephony, the phone has best-in-class signal reception and call quality. This is naturally required because the phone is intended for use remote areas.
Coming to the features, the phone mounts the Series 40 6th edition user interface. It sports the Active-standby menu that lets users access favourite features quickly and easily. There's also the option to add notes on the active-standby menu. For browsing, the phone comes preinstalled with both the WebKit browser and the more user-friendly Opera Mini. Other features aboard are common to most other S40 phones with the sole exception of the Nokia Ovi Maps which is only available in one other S40 handset, the Nokia 5220 XpressMusic. Although the 3720 is not a GPS phone, these electronic maps may come in handy for the intrepid explorer when he or she gets lost.
What the Nokia 3720 classic has over phones in this segment is good style and great functionality for a reasonable price. Once again, with this phone, Nokia raised the bar high enough to the extent that only they can beat it with their next release.
Features
- Rugged design
- IP54 certified – water and dust resistant
- Excellent call reception and sound quality
- 2.2” 16M colour QVGA display
- 2MP camera with LED flash
- S40 6th edition user interface
- Flashlight with dedicated hardware key
- Metal-screw lock mechanism for battery cover
- Ovi Maps and Ovi Share
- Exciting preinstalled applications
Accessories
- Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-101)
- Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-216
- Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-214
- Nokia Display Speakerphone HF-510
- Nokia Extra Power (DC-8)
